Large processes such as chemical, petroleum, and other manufacturing and refining processes include numerous field devices disposed at various locations to measure and control parameters of a process to thereby effect control of the process. Similarly, in such industrial processes a number of valves, sensors or other field instruments or devices may be disposed throughout the process, each of which may require periodic diagnostic operations, configuration, and or calibration. These field devices may be, for example, sensors such as temperature, pressure, and flow rate sensors as well as control elements such as valves and switches. Historically, the process control, diagnostics, configuration, and/or calibration operations in such industrial processes relied on manual operations for reading level and pressure gauges, turning valve wheels, etc. Eventually, the use of local pneumatic control became more prevalent, in which local pneumatic controllers, transmitters, and valve positioners were placed at various locations within a process plant to effect control of certain plant locations. With the emergence of the microprocessor-based distributed control system (DCS) in the 1970's, distributed electronic process control became prevalent in the process control industry.
As is known, a DCS includes an analog or a digital computer, such as a programmable logic controller, connected to numerous electronic monitoring and control devices, such as electronic sensors, transmitters, current-to-pressure transducers, valve positioners, etc. located throughout a process. The DCS computer stores and implements a centralized and often complex control scheme to effect measurement and control of devices within the process to thereby control process parameters according to some overall control scheme. The same basic system is also applicant to the above-mentioned diagnostics, configuration, and calibration operations.
In such systems, a host controller provides a variable DC control current signal of between 4 and 20 milliAmps (mA) over a two-wire communication link to the transducer or positioner or to any other controllable device or instrument. The control current level changes the state of the controllable device in proportion to the strength of the variable DC current signal. For example, a valve positioner might fully open a valve in response to a 4 mA control current, and fully close the valve in response to a 20 mA control current.
In addition to being responsive to a variable control signal, current to pressure transducers, valve positioners, or other field instruments or devices have variable parameters which may be adjusted to control the operating characteristics of such devices. Previously, these devices or process instruments were adjusted manually. However, with the advent of so-called “smart” devices capable of bi-directional communication, it has become possible for necessary adjustments, readings, etc. to be carried out automatically from a location remote from the device or field instrument. Moreover, diagnostic testing and instrument monitoring can also be conducted from a remote location. However, a mechanism must be provided for transmitting a communication signal from the communication site to the field instrument or other device in order to implement the adjustments and/or the field testing.
For a variety of reasons, it may not be feasible to install a communication network separate and independent from the two-wire control loop that interconnects the communication site with the field instrument. Thus, it is desirable to transmit the communication signal over the two-wire control loop together with the 4–20 mA control signal so that additional wiring and/or a separate communication system will not be required. Thus, a modulated digital communications signal is superimposed on the 4–20 mA DC analog control signal used to control the field instrument in order to allow serial communication of data bitstreams between the field instrument and the host controller.
In such systems, the host controller communicates with one or more field instruments or devices via a multiplexer. Typically, the system will utilize any one of a number of available standard, open communication protocols including, for example, the HART®, PROFIBUS®, WORLDFIP®, Device-Net®, and CAN protocols, which enable field devices made by different manufacturers to be used together within the same communication network. In fact, any field device that conforms to one of these protocols can be used within a process to communicate with and/or to be controlled by a DCS controller or other controller that supports the protocol, even if that field device is made by a different manufacturer than the manufacturer of the DCS controller.
As is known, communications between the host controller and the multiplexer are relatively fast, while communications between the field instrument or device are relatively slow. For a variety of reasons, the host controller desires to know the status of messages that have been sent to the field instrument or device via the multiplexer. However, repeated communications with the multiplexer regarding the status of the message sent to the field instrument or device impede the performance of other communications that must be sent through the multiplexer network.